Ultra-low phase noise all-optical microwave generation setup based on commercial devices

In this article, we present a very simple design based on commercial devices for the all-optical generation of ultra-low phase noise microwave signals. A commercial, fibered femtosecond laser is locked to a laser that is stabilized to a commercial ultra-low expansion Fabry-Perot cavity. The 10 GHz microwave signal extracted from the femtosecond laser output exhibits a single sideband phase noise L(f)-104 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz Fourier frequency, at the level of the best value obtained with such ``microwave photonics'' laboratory experiments [Nat. Photonics 5, 425-429 (2011)]. Close-to-the-carrier ultra-low phase noise microwave signals will now be available in laboratories outside the frequency metrology field, opening up new possibilities in various domains. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America